September 24, 2002

The US, which is already guilty of financing and training PLO terrorists, gave implicit support last night to another anti-Israel security council resolution demanding that Israel stop defending itself from terrorism.

(Ha'aretz) With the U.S. abstaining, the Security Council approved a compromise resolution on the Mideast early Tuesday demanding that Israel cease actions around Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound in the West Bank while condemning terrorist attacks.

The compromise resolution was negotiated by the European Union and based on two competing proposals from the United States and the Palestinians.......

Using unusually harsh language to criticize Israel, the U.S. draft... expressed grave concern for Israel's actions at Arafat's compound which "aggravate the situation and ... do not contribute to progress on comprehensive Palestinian civil and security reforms."

The U.S. draft called on the Palestinian Authority to bring to justice those responsible for "terrorist acts," and "consistent with Israel's legitimate security concerns, calls for the withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces from Palestinian cities."

Palestinian UN observer Nasser al-Kidwa accused Israel of defying three decades of Security Council resolutions and asked the 15-nation body to "shoulder its responsibilities" and ensure these were enforced.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Israel at the morning start of Monday's debate that its battering away at the Palestinian Authority was "a bankrupt policy" that bolstered extremists and would never end Middle East violence.